Hey there! I’m Vanessa.
I’m a Principal UX / Product Designer with over 16 years of experience leading product strategy and end-to-end design for complex systems across healthcare, enterprise SaaS, and consumer technology.
I’ve worked in a variety of industries including automotive, financial, biotech, medical, pharmaceutical, travel, consumer, and more.
🔍 Looking for a role as a Principal Designer or UX Manager, open to full-time or contract, in the US or abroad
Brands I’ve Worked With
Ways I Display UX Leadership
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Creating and Managing the Design System
At my last two roles, I built design systems from the ground up in Figma to keep design consistent across teams and products. This included reusable components, clear UI guidelines, and close collaboration with developers.
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Mentoring Junior Designers
In my current role, I’ve mentored 6 Junior Designers through various stages in their development. After senior leadership was let go, I acted as de facto Manager and took charge of creating a UX strategy that aligned with business goals and kept the team focused through a period of change.
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Running Design Crits
I was in charge of running biweekly “Chime” design crits to encourage group sharing of current work, get alignment across the team, giving feedback and helping each other with designs.
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Facilitating Brainstorming Collabs
12 heads are better than 1! I love encouraging group creativity and everyone having a voice in the room.
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Recruitment and Interviewing New Hires
Using Greenhouse software, reviewed potential candidates portfolios and resumes, interviewed candidates, and onboarded new hires. Fun fact: I used to be a UX Recruiter for a short while earlier in my career.
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Organizing Social Events
I organized multiple Halloween and Christmas virtual celebrations, as well as the creation of digital Birthday Cards for everyone on the team. Yes, I’m Microsoft Clippy in the corner.
Recognition at Work
My Career Trajectory 📈
I thought it’d be helpful to visualize where I am in the Product Design career ladder and where I’d like to land in my next role - continuing as either a Principal/Staff Designer or a Design Manager.
What makes me an exceptional designer leader?
🎓🎨 Relentless Learner, Amazing Design Chops
I studied at University of the Arts London, the world’s top-ranked design school, and have continued building my craft through ongoing certifications in UX, graphic design, Squarespace web design, and business marketing. I lead by example—always curious, always growing.
🌍 Adaptable & Globally-Minded
Having studied abroad in Sweden, Scotland and England, and worked in the UK and US, I bring adaptability and cultural fluency to every team I join. I know how to read the room, navigate change, and lead with clarity in fast-moving, ambiguous environments. (I even speak Swedish! 🇸🇪 )
🤝 Team-First Energy
I’m a people-focused leader who believes team morale and shared energy directly impact the quality of design. I coach, collaborate, and champion others—creating a space where creativity and trust drive the best outcomes.
Deep Human Understanding 🧠
With formal training in life coaching and hypnosis-based therapy, I bring an uncommon depth of empathy, active listening, and psychological insight to design leadership—grounding every product decision in how real people think, feel, and behave.
My Education 🎓
BA (Honors) in Product Design
2006-2009, England
Foundation Year in Product Design
2004-2005, Scotland
Google Professional UX Design Certificate
6 month course, 2021, Google
Manager Course: Leading Highly Effective UX Teams
2022, Nielsen Normal Group
LUMA Human-Centered Design Practitioner Certificate
2022, LUMA Institute
UX Management: Strategies & Tactics Certificate
2021, Interaction Design Foundation
A FEW OF MY HOBBIES